About Cairns Historical Society

he Cairns Historical Society makes the history of Far North Queensland accessible for current and future generations.

The Society is a not-for-profit Incorporated Association run and managed by volunteers, with the support of 3 paid staff members. We are led by an elected Management Committee made up of an executive team and the voluntary managers of the Society’s collections.

Our current President is Mr Clive Skarott AM and our vice-President is Dr Jan Wegner.

We have an active volunteer base of around 80 people, as well as a broader membership of local, national and international supporters.

The Society operates the Cairns Museum, the CHS Research Centre and the History on the Move School Trailer program. It also manages a nationally significant collection of over 60,000 individual items.
The Society receives operational funding from Cairns Regional Council. The Society proudly acknowledges this support for work we do to enable locals and visitors to learn, appreciate and engage with Cairns’ history and heritage.